Page 10 of Out of the Shadows

“Don’t look at me like that,” she muttered before nodding to Doc. “Anyway, Doc said I need to take twenty-four hours off all this.” She waved her hand at her computer setup.

“I actually recommended forty-eight hours, and that we can reevaluate after twenty-four,” Doc clarified.

Bean shifted her glare to Doc. “Not helping, Doc. Not helping.” The man raised his hands in mock surrender before she turned her ire back to him. “Besides, boss man, we don’t even know what’s wrong.” She gestured to the plastic box of vials on the coffee table. “It’ll take like two to three days for the results.”

“I can expedite it,” Doc said, glancing at his watch. “We use a facility on Port Townsend for our lab tests, and depending on the ferry schedule, I can drop those off to them before they close tonight. If I make it, they should be able to get the results back by end of day tomorrow.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary, Doc?—”

“Great idea,” Gavin said. “Better yet, I can have Owen fly you over right now.”

Bean’s jaw dropped. “Gavin Frazier. We arenotusing a company helicopter to take my blood samples to the lab. That’s ridiculous.”

Sometimes her haughty tone had him questioning whowas actually in charge. “Are you telling me what I can and can’t do withmyhelicopter?” If he had to throw his weight around and remind the stubborn woman it washiscompany, so be it. Asshole move? For sure. But he didn’t care. They needed answers. Immediately. “Besides, are you not a part of this team?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “In fact, B, I’d say that you’re probably the most important person in this entire company.”

Gavin quickly typed a text to Owen and appreciated his pilot’s immediate response. “She can have the helo ready to go in fifteen minutes. That work for you, Doc?”

“Wow, uh, yeah. That works fine.”

Bean groaned. “A little bit of overkill, don’t you think?”

He glanced at Bean. She was relaxed in her chair, her head lying on the rest, her eyes closed, the tiny wrinkle between her eyebrows pronounced. Either she had a headache, or she was annoyed. Probably both. “Nope,” he said, making sure to pop the P. The wrinkle deepened, and he didn’t bother biting back a smirk.

Doc chuckled as he gathered his things. “Quite the efficient operation you have going here, Frazier.”

“Yes, sir.” Understatement of the year. But what concerned him was that Bean didn’t realize that she was an integral part of their operation. And if he had to fly the damn helo himself, he would. “If you could give me a minute,” he said to Doc as he dialed his phone and brought it to his ear, “I need to make this call before I escort you to the hangar.”

Hudson Security’s Director of Logistics’ cool and steady voice answered, “How can I help you, Frazier?”

“B’s going dark for twenty-four, Esme. Maybe forty-eight. Let everyone who’s need-to-know know.”

Esme remained silent, so he was able to hear Bean’s muttered, “Kill. Me. Now.”

“She okay?” Esme asked.

“She will be. After a shit ton of rest.”

“Shit, I knew exhaustion was finally going to catch up to her.” Esme tsked like a reprimanding schoolteacher. “You know you’ll have to chain B to her bed, right? Her home setup is almost identical to her office.”

Damn. That hadn’t even crossed his mind. “Good point. And thanks, Esme.”

“Of course. Give her my best,” she replied before disconnecting.

He shoved his phone into his back pocket. “B, I’m going to take Doc to the hangar and check in with Owen.”

“Thanks for coming out, Doc,” Bean said, starting to rise.

“Stay seated, dear, and you’re welcome. I’ll call you with the test results. Take some Tylenol, hydrate with actual water, and get some rest, okay?”

She nodded and sank back into her chair, giving him a tired wave.

“I’ll be back in fifteen,” Gavin said. “So close up shop, and I’ll drive you home.” Bean’s eyes were closed again, and she didn’t reply. Didn’t even give a single indication she’d heard him. “Bean?”

She heaved another sigh, and his lips twitched. Yeah, he wasn’t her favorite person at the moment. But he didn’t care.

“So freaking bossy,” she grumbled, her eyes still closed.

Damn right.

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